On Thursday (May 7), PC Mark Burrows was found not guilty by a jury following a trial at Chester Crown Court which lasted seven days.

PC Burrows had been accused of causing death by dangerous driving after fatally crashing with mum-of-three Heather Smedley in Oldham on December 23, 2022, as he pursued a stolen car.

Now, following his acquittal, GMP have issued a statement defending PC Burrows, saying he is not responsible for the death of Mrs Smedley.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to  The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said: “Mark Burrows went to work that day like any other day: intent on serving the public and keeping them safe from those who seek to do harm. It is nothing short of tragic that an innocent woman died in the course of those duties.

“My thoughts are with Heather Smedley’s loved ones who continue to mourn her devastating loss. Only one man was responsible for Heather’s death that day and he’s already behind bars.

“The impact of this incident on PC Burrows is lifelong and has been compounded by a criminal investigation. It is important officers are held to account for their actions, but are not fearful of the consequences of putting themselves in harm’s way.

Heather Smedley died two days before Christmas Day (Image: GMP)

“Our highly trained pursuit drivers are some of the thousands of brave and skilled officers who routinely face dangerous and difficult situations to protect the public. They have my full support in continuing to use their specialist training to confront danger and keep you safe.”

In 2023, Marcel Doyle, who was driving the stolen car, was sentenced to 14 years and 11 months in prison for causing Mrs Smedley’s death due to dangerous driving.

PC Burrows was pursuing a stolen Audi A3 on Oldham Road, Heyside, travelling at speeds of up to 80mph.

Doyle overtook several vehicles close to the junction with Otmoor Way, with PC Burrows performing the same manoeuvre. However, at the same time, Mrs Smedley began turning into Otmoor Way.

While the car being driven by Doyle narrowly avoided crashing into Mrs Smedley, PC Burrows’s car fatally crashed into her.

During an emotional testimony, a tearful PC Burrows told the court he believed Mrs Smedley had seen his car and that she was yielding to let him overtake her.

He added that once he realised Mrs Smedley’s car was turning into his path, he immediately hit the brakes.

The Eboracum Roman Festival will take over the city from May 16 to May 31, offering visitors two weeks of immersive history, entertainment, and family fun across various landmark venues.

Organised by York Museums Trust in collaboration with partners including the York Archaeological Trust and York Minster, the festival promises hands-on activities, talks and trails for all ages.

Romans line up in York Museum Gardens (Image: Gareth Buddo)

Clare Alton-Fletcher, participation and learning manager at York Museums Trust, said: “York Museums Trust are delighted to be hosting the Eboracum Roman Festival again along with the ArchaeoYork group of York Minster, York Archaeological Trust, York Civic Trust and the University of York this year, as well as partnering with Uncomfortable York and City Screen for more Roman events.

“The festival always offers a fantastic experience for partners across the city to come together and showcase the best of York’s history to residents and visitors, and we can’t wait to share amazing activities happening across the city with you all.

“The Living History Weekend is going to be a fun-filled celebration; we are beyond excited to have Greg Jenner and Terry Deary with us this year.

“There’s something for everyone throughout the rest of half term too, with lots of Roman-related activities to enjoy at the Yorkshire Museum.”

Roman Soldier in York Museum Gardens (Image: Gareth Buddo)

The Living History Weekend will be held on May 23 and 24 in the York Museum Gardens, featuring a Roman encampment with demonstrations of traditional crafts including weaving, carpentry, pottery and blacksmithing.

Visitors can interact with costumed legionaries, learn about daily life in Roman times and try their hand at some of the crafts.

Military displays by the Ermine Street Guard will showcase Roman formations and weaponry, while an Edible Garden tour on May 23 will focus on plants and herbs used by the Romans for cooking, medicine and even poisons.

Roman camp in York Museum Gardens (Image: Gareth Buddo)

Children can take part in the ticketed Kids Barbaric Battle, dressing as legionaries and charging across the lawn.

Artillery demonstrations will also bring ancient warfare to life.

The festival also features talks by popular authors.

Historian and podcaster Greg Jenner will present a family-friendly talk titled Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy on May 23 at the Yorkshire Museum.

Horrible Histories author Terry Deary will speak on May 24, delivering a talk for audiences aged 16 and over titled Revolting – A Riotous History of Rebellions and Revolutions.

Throughout the weekend, storytelling sessions will include readings by Kate Campbell, author of Vlad and the Roman Triumph, and Stories Alive with their version of The Labours of Hercules.

Visitors can meet authors Simon Turney, Simon Elliot, Paul Chrystal and Alex Gough in the Bibliothēca tent, where they will discuss, sign and sell their books.

York Archaeological Trust, the Roman Bath Museum and the Yorkshire Museum will be in the Archaeology Zone featuring mock excavation pits and hands-on artefact sessions.

Gareth Henry, director of public engagement at York Archaeology, said: “Working in partnership across the city is always such a pleasure.

“The Eboracum Roman Festival is a hit in the city and we’re so excited to be bringing an expanded new archaeology zone to the festival this year and support the Living History Camp in the Museum Gardens.”

Additional events will be held city-wide, including costumed interpreters at York Minster, Roman-themed walking tours, and a city treasure hunt supported by the University of York.

A free symposium exploring Egypt’s presence in Roman York will be held on May 20.

The Yorkshire Museum’s newly opened exhibition Chariots, Treasure and Power: Secrets of the Melsonby Hoard, which showcases the largest deposit of Iron Age objects ever found in Britain, will be highlighted during the festival.

Family activities inside the museum will be included with general admission, including workshops, games and encounters with a costumed Roman.

The festival concludes on May 31 with a screening of the film Gladiator at City Screen.

A schools programme will offer free online resources as well as a livestreamed Roman history session on May 21.

For full details, tickets, and booking information, visit the Yorkshire Museum website.

Some tickets for the UFC’s one-of-a-kind event at the White House next month will cost around $1.5m (£1.1m), according to respected MMA journalist Ariel Helwani.

The promotion is set to host a show at the the home of the United States president on 14 June, called UFC Freedom 250, to mark 250 years of American independence.

UFC president Dana White said this week that 4,300 people will watch the event on the South Lawn, most of whom will be members of the military, while 85,000 tickets will be made available for free to members of the public to watch the event at the nearby Ellipse Park.

The remaining numbers will be made up by “high rollers” who will have to pay $1.5m to watch the show as part of a luxury package.

“Partner investment is what it’s being called,” said Helwani.

“This is the offer: UFC Freedom 250, a partner welcome reception, press conference reserved seating, ceremonial weigh-ins, general admission access, Zak Brown concert access, UFC 329 floor tickets, and WWE event integration ring signage.

“It’s a deck being sent out to a lot of influential people, high rollers.”

BBC Sport has asked the UFC for clarification around tickets for the event.

North will join head coach Brendon McCullum, director of cricket Rob Key and the Test and limited overs captains – Stokes and Harry Brook – in selecting England squads, with some input on the final XI for matches. Performance director Ed Barney and head of player identification David Court are also involved in selection.

North’s brief will include involvement in selection for England Lions, liaising with counties and leading a team of scouts.

Under McCullum, England have often ignored proven performers from county cricket in favour of the players they believe to have the attributes for international cricket. It will perhaps be North’s role to provide balance to England’s methods.

He may only have a limited involvement in the process of choosing a squad for the first Test against New Zealand, beginning at Lord’s on 4 June.

The squad is set to be named in the week beginning 18 May, with an England training camp in Loughborough commencing on 25 May.

In the aftermath of the heavy loss in Australia, Stokes’ team are likely to be looking for a new opener to replace Zak Crawley.

Durham’s Emilio Gay and Somerset’s James Rew would be the leading contenders, and could both be named in the squad for the first Test.

The identity of England’s frontline spinner and seamers to join the fast-bowling department would also be up for discussion.

Around 80 candidates submitted applications for the selector job in April. These were then whittled down by initial conversations, leading to the final interviews.

In inviting applications, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said it was looking for “significant professional experience and intimate knowledge of international and first-class cricket, including knowledge of emerging players and county network”.

The ECB added that applicants should have “demonstrable experience of informing talent identification”, “a strong understanding of data and analytics within cricket” and “the ability to manage relationships with cricketers at international and county levels”.

When do symptoms of hantavirus typically appear after exposure?

When Sir David Attenborough was born in 1926, George V was on the throne, Stanley Baldwin was in Downing Street, and the BBC, the institution where he would spend many productive decades, was, itself, still in nappies.

Over the years, Attenborough has become the face and voice of natural history the world over. From chasing animals through jungles and deserts, to observing the myriad changes to our ecosystem in his near century on planet earth, Attenborough has been a guide through the wild citizens and untouched places of our world.

Here, ahead of his 100th birthday this week, we look at some of the moments from his televisual oeuvre that have defined Attenborough for generation after generation.

Attenborough and the puffins, Wild Isles

As the years have gone by, Attenborough’s forays in front of the camera have become increasingly rare. Appearing in 2023’s domestic-focused Wild Isles, Attenborough sits amid a colony of Pembrokeshire puffins. “Never has there been a more important time,” he implores the audience, “to invest in our own wildlife.”  In its accessibility and urgency, it shows a man still, somehow, in his prime.

Attenborough and the leatherback, Blue Planet II

At the ripe age of 91 years old, Attenborough could’ve been forgiven for reclining on a beach in the Caribbean. That he would do so, back in 2017, in the moonlit company of leatherback turtles is typical of the man. “Whoops,” he exclaims, with a half-chuckle, as a giant leatherback turtle prepares to lay her eggs. All that’s missing from the scene is a striped beach towel and pina colada.

Attenborough vs curling at the Winter Olympics, Radio 1

Attenborough’s voice and intonation make him ripe for parody, a fact he made light of when appearing on Greg James’s Radio 1 show back in 2014. Lending his dulcet tones to the women’s curling event at the Winter Olympics, he narrated proceedings in trademark fashion. “The frisking is frantic,” he said, as the stone slid down the Sochi ice, “and often futile.” The seriousness of his voice paired with the lack of self-importance has been key to his success (both as a sports commentator and, more often, a wildlife presenter).

Attenborough on Raine Island, Planet Earth III x Zoo Quest

“As far as I know,” Attenborough told viewers, during 2023’s Planet Earth III, “I was one of the first people to film on Raine Island, back in 1957.” It was 66 years ago when Attenborough first set foot on this coral cay in the Great Barrier Reef to witness the world’s largest population of green turtles for an episode of his show Zoo Quest. Reflecting on this so many decades later, with the same issues at stake, is a remarkable feat of both zoological and televisual longevity.

Attenborough and sloth, The Life of Mammals

In 2002, Attenborough was back to his roots as a hands-on zoologist for this 10-part series about earth’s dominant animal class. But it was an intimate interaction shared with a sloth (“the most extraordinary plant predator”) that captured viewers’ imaginations. “Boo!” he says to the sloth, with somewhat uncharacteristic playfulness. The central American herbivore looks back at the naturalist, stretching its head out in measured curiosity, and for a beautiful moment it’s ambiguous as to who is scientist and who is subject.

Attenborough vs python, Zoo Quest

Back in the 1950s – long before bravura herpetologists had turned snake wrangling into a TV artform – a young Attenborough found himself in Indonesia, face to face with an enormous python. Not much older than 30, Attenborough already possessed that recognisable voice of his – but what is utterly unrecognisable is the figure nimbly scuttling up a tree, khaki shirt unbuttoned to reveal a rippling torso. The conscientious tone that would come to typify Attenborough’s later narration is entirely absent as he stuffs the python’s head into a burlap sack and grins for the camera in his moment of triumph.

Attenborough at Glastonbury 2019

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day

New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.

Advertisement

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day

New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Advertisement

Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Jay-Z: all the biggest acts in the world have played the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. So, it was oddly fitting when, in 2019, this titan of the natural world took prime position at Worthy Farm to give a rousing speech about the festival’s accomplishments in divesting itself of plastic. “This great festival has gone plastic-free,” he told the enormous crowd. “That is more than a million bottles of water that have not been drunk by you in plastic bottles.” The roar that greeted the nonagenarian’s rather banal appearance was the sort usually reserved for teen idols or ageing rock superstars.

Attenborough and the Cargo Cult, The People of Paradise

It’s not unfair to say that David Attenborough walked so that men like Bruce Parry and Anthony Bourdain could run. In 1960’s The People of Paradise, a youthful Attenborough deviated from his zoological background for a sojourn in the cultural anthropology arena. His episode amongst the Cargo Cult of Vanuatu, who worship a mystic figure called “John Frum” is particularly excellent. Watching it in 2023 is a good reminder of how much smaller the world seemed when Attenborough first began broadcasting.

The clever killer whales, Frozen Planet II

One of Attenborough’s key skills as a narrator is his ability to read meaning into animal behaviours, parsing them for a lay (read: human) audience. One of the most striking examples came during 2022’s Frozen Planet II. A pod of killer whales swim in formation to create waves that displace a delicious, succulent seal skulking safely on an ice floe. “It’s an ingenious solution,” he says, with almost grandfatherly pride, as the whales rip the seal to smithereens and sup on its exquisite blubber.

Lizard vs snakes, Planet Earth II

There’s nothing audiences love more than the rare moments when the animal kingdom pits one species against another. The best example of this, in recent years, comes from 2016’s Planet Earth II. A death match is waged between a lizard – sprinting through the desert as though it’s in Mad Max – and countless deadly snakes. This was one of the first clips from an Attenborough documentary to go viral on social media, aided by a legendary slot on Channel 4’s Gogglebox.

Attenborough and the Queen, The Queen’s Green Planet

ITV really bagged the big guns for its 2018 documentary, The Queen’s Green Planet. David and Elizabeth, the nonagenarians, who were born just a couple of weeks apart in 1926, were filmed going for a pleasant stroll in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. The conversation itself isn’t exactly scintillating – the Queen compares a variety of trees to her awful children – but there’s something pleasing about the sight of these two figures, both of whom had acquired living (at the time) legend status, pottering around the garden.

Attenborough and Obama, 2015

In his later years, Attenborough began to transition from naturalist to campaigner. In 2015 he sat down in the Oval Office with then-President Barack Obama to discuss life on our “blue marble”. The two discuss the renewable energy transition, population urbanisation and educating children about the natural world. But what’s most striking, perhaps, is that both these men look infinitely more statesmanlike than those politicians now convening at COP after COP to talk about these same issues.

Attenborough and Lonesome George, Galapagos 3D

“This is the rarest living animal in the world,” whispered Attenborough, as Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island tortoise, crawled beside him. Attenborough’s 2013 series Galapagos 3D – made during the short-lived 3D fad – saw him get up close and personal with a creature who, having been born in 1910, made the silver-haired presenter look like a spring chicken. Even more remarkably, the tortoise died a fortnight later at the age of 102, making it his last on-camera interview. Attenborough was not, to my knowledge, questioned in connection with the tortoise’s death.

Attenborough and the mountain gorillas, Life on Earth

Probably the most instantly recognisable on-camera sequence from Attenborough’s decades at the BBC, this 1979 encounter with mountain gorillas at Dian Fossey’s sanctuary in Rwanda is a remarkably tactile piece of broadcasting. These huge apes – who could comfortably rip his face off and use it as a banana dish – start to tussle with the presenter in the foliage. Rather than run for his life, Attenborough submits, even grinning broadly as two baby gorillas remove his shoes. For a man best known to a whole generation as a disembodied voice, it is a wonderfully corporeal moment.

Attenborough and the baby rhino, Africa

What’s better than a full-sized rhino? A baby one, of course! On all-fours in the African savannah, Attenborough comes face to face with a pint-sized rhinoceros. They squeak at one another, the older man replicating the younger mammal’s juvenile calls. “Enchanting creature,” Attenborough muses afterwards, but that shot of them locking eyes – one gnarled and wrinkled by evolution, the other craggy and lined with age – remains iconic. It is a moment not of enchantment, but of fraternity.

Attenborough’s butterfly, Micro Monsters

Big cats, giant snakes, great apes: these showstopping animals might take the headlines, but Attenborough is as adept working on a far smaller canvas. There is no more poignant example of this than a scene from 2013’s Micro Monsters, in which a butterfly lands on the presenter’s index finger. The insect seems to hold its poise while Attenborough delivers his trademark narration, his eyes staring inquiringly at the patterned wings just a few inches from his face.

Attenborough’s orangutan, Zoo Quest

Zoo Quest, the show that made Attenborough’s career as a presenter, was based on a premise that now seems wildly dated: the staff of London Zoo, and the BBC, travel the world to capture animals for the site’s permanent collection. All the same, the show introduced the British public to far-flung locales and their equally eye-catching denizens. The highlight is, perhaps, the search through Indonesia for an orangutan. Tracking discarded fruit on the floor, Attenborough spots their distinctive orange fur through the foliage. The ape proceeds to hang there “screaming and breaking off branches to throw down at [Attenborough]”. Fair enough – anything to avoid a trip to 1950s London.

Attenborough at COP26 2021

With Britain hosting COP26, the global climate change summit, it was natural that the organisers would turn to the nation’s most respected voice on issues of the natural world. Opening the summit in Glasgow, Attenborough delivered a rousing speech against a backdrop of dramatic images of planet earth – together with illustrations of humanity’s impact on it. “If working apart we are a force powerful enough to destabilize our planet,” he told attendees of the conference, “surely working together we are powerful enough to save it.” At a conference famous for half-measures and backroom deals, it was a spine tingling moment of public performance.

Dancing with the capercaillie, The Life of Birds

The capercaillie – the horse of the wood – is the world’s largest grouse. Up in Scotland, Attenborough gets up close with the local alpha male. “He is so charged up,” Attenborough observes wryly, as the bird, tail feathers standing erect, bears down on him. Moments later, the capercaillie has, somewhat over-dramatically, knocked the long-in-the-tooth presenter to the ground. “Now, now!” he exclaims, with a chuckle, as the beak of the capercaillie rattles with indignation.

Attenborough, tortoise and Graham Norton, The Graham Norton Show

Attenborough has a long association with animals mating. “Does it get to the point where you just feel like an old perv?” asked Graham Norton when the esteemed knight of the realm sat on his red couch in 2012. Attenborough was a fixture of talk shows, from Parkinson to Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, and a very good sport. Following his cheeky enquiry, Norton made Attenborough provide his trademark narration to grainy video footage of a tortoise attempting to have its way with a rubber Croc. “The humble tortoise gently mounts his chosen mate,” Attenborough says soberly, “in a dance as old as time itself.”

Evil shoebills, Africa

Attenborough’s reassuring voice was often utilised to good effect in heart-warming stories of survival against the odds, but it could also run counter to that grain. There’s no better example than in 2013’s Africa, when two shoebill chicks start to fight in their mother’s absence. “This is more than scrap between two siblings,” Attenborough growls, as the comically grotesque shoebill bites at its runty brother’s neck. “It reveals a dark side.”

Lions vs elephant, Planet Earth

The BBC’s Natural History unit has always been at the cutting edge of technological developments. Underwater photography, drones and infrared are now staples of their broadcasts. Back in 2006, for the first series of Planet Earth, the team caught an extremely rare natural event using what was then considered state of the art technology: night vision. “They’re specialist elephant hunters,” Attenborough says of a pack of lions chasing their next meal, using narration sparingly as audiences bear witness to the elephant being dragged to the ground. He concludes, with trademark pragmatism, that “this elephant will feed the whole pride for at least a week”.

Cllr Michael Pavlovic said the council is supporting landlords following the Renters’ Rights Act coming into effect this month.

The Renters’ Rights Act signals the end of Section 21 “no fault” evictions, meaning private landlords will not be able to evict tenants without a valid justification.

Landlords must also reasonably consider renters’ requests to live with a pet.

Rather than fixed contracts, tenancies in the private rented sector will also roll on from month to month or week to week, giving renters more flexibility. Tenants can end them with two months’ notice.

There are also fairer rent rules, with landlords only able to raise rents once a year and tenants able to challenge unfair hikes.

Potential bidding wars should be avoided as landlords must stick to no more than the advertised rent price.

Landlords can now only ask for up to one month’s rent upfront and they cannot refuse tenants because they receive benefits or have children.

Full-time students can be evicted at the end of the academic year if the landlord gives them four months’ notice. These new rules do not apply to social tenants or lodgers.

Cllr Pavlovic said 20 per cent of homes (or 17,000 properties) in York are privately rented and in “very high demand as those looking for a rental property will know”.

“This new legislation gives tenants more rights and security – if they honour their contracts.

“We’re also supporting landlords and so far, we have trained 200 to help them understand and act on their new obligations. They in turn must help make their tenants aware of these changes.”

Andy Simpson, chair of York Residential Landlords Association (RLA), said the Renters’ Rights Act represents a “significant change for both tenants and landlords”.

“Landlords will want to see the new system work well, with tenants having clear information about their rights and responsible landlords having clear guidance on what is required of them.

“It is important that landlords receive clear communication well in advance of changes taking effect, so they have the time and certainty needed to prepare properly. These reforms must be implemented in a fair, practical and proportionate way, with good landlords supported to continue providing much-needed homes in York.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Council on the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act, with the aim of securing positive outcomes for both tenants and landlords.”

Thriller fans won’t want to miss this star-studded drama led by Mad Men icon Jon Hamm.

Advertisement

A “life or death crisis” thriller is heading to screens from the creative forces behind acclaimed productions such as The Night Agent and Big Love.

Adapted from the highly regarded podcast of the same name, American Hostage is a “high-stakes” eight-episode psychological thriller guaranteed to keep audiences gripping their seats throughout.

Set against the backdrop of the 1970s, American Hostage recounts the “harrowing true story” of beloved Indianapolis radio journalist Fred Heckman, who was taken hostage by Tony Kiritsis and forced to broadcast a live interview on his widely followed radio programme.

Scheduled to launch in autumn 2026 on MGM+, the role of Fred Heckman is portrayed by Mad Men and Landman star Jon Hamm.

He is joined by Giovanni Ribisi, renowned for his appearances in Saving Private Ryan, Friends, Avatar and Sneaky Pete, who takes on the role of Fred’s captor Tony Kiritsis.

Advertisement

Get MGM+ free for a week

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£5.99

£0

MGM+

Get MGM+ here

Telly fans can get seven days of free access to binge top series like Outlander with a free trial of Amazon Prime’s MGM+ channel.

Advertisement

Rounding out the cast are several well-known faces, including The Killing’s Mireille Enos, The Good Place’s William Jackson Harper, and Jonathan Tucker, best known for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Adding further excitement to the production is the involvement of co-creator Shawn Ryan, whose impressive portfolio includes The Night Agent, Timeless, SWAT and The Shield.

Ryan is partnered with fellow co-creator and co-showrunner Eileen Myers, whose previous credits include Big Love, Dark Blue and Masters of Sex.

Offering an early glimpse of the forthcoming series, MGM+ has released a handful of teaser images, amongst them a shot of Hamm’s Fred Heckman in his radio studio.

The second shows Fred alongside his wife, portrayed by Mireille Enos, standing in close proximity while appearing startled by something on a television screen.

Michael Wright, global head of MGM+, remarked: “The combination of prolific producers Shawn Ryan and Eileen Myers, a singular talent like Jon Hamm, and our partners at Sony Pictures Television, is a match made in MGM+ heaven .

” This is a fascinating story about real people engaged in a real-time life-or-death struggle to keep a desperate hostage situation from spinning out of control, and we’re thrilled to bring it to audiences around the world.”

American Hostage will be available to watch on MGM+ later this year.

A car meet-up was organised in memory Shea McGreevy on Monday evening in West Belfast

Police have said five vehicles were damaged and two officers injured as they issue a renewed appeal for information following a car meet-up in West Belfast that led to violent disorder.

A car meet-up was organised on Monday, May 4, in memory of Shea McGreevy who died in a jet ski accident the previous week which saw large numbers of cars and scramblers gather on the Stewartstown Road and engage in dangerous driving.

Police attending the scene were attacked by a large group who had their faces covered.

The PSNI has now issued a renewed appeal for information asking people to contact them.

Advertisement

Chief Inspector Ferguson said: “At approximately 7.30pm, officers attended after receiving reports of cars and scrambler bikes gathered in the area and engaging in dangerous driving.

“A large number of people with faces covered emerged from the crowd and began to throw masonry and other projectiles at police.

“Five police vehicles were damaged and two officers sustained injury.

Advertisement

“I am appealing to anyone who may have any information or CCTV, dash-cam or other footage that could assist in identify those responsible, is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1141 04/05/26.

“A report can be made online via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport Alternatively, information can be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Gary Brunton had been out with his friends on Bank Holiday Monday (May 4) evening, when it is believed he fell from the staircase leading to the flat above the Demi Sports Bar, on Albert Road in Consett.

The 51-year-old from Consett was taken to hospital with serious injuries but died on Wednesday (May 6).

Today (May 7), his family paid tribute to him, saying: “Losing Gary has left our entire family heartbroken beyond words.

Gary Brunton (Image: DURHAM CONSTABULARY)

“He will leave an enormous gap in the lives of not just our family but also his friends, who he loved so much.

A fire service car next to the Demi Sports Bar, Consett (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

“To never see him again is breaking our hearts. We are going to miss him every day.

“We ask for privacy while we grieve and try to come to terms with our unimaginable loss.”

An investigation is underway, and police are appealing for witnesses to the incident to come forward.

Yesterday afternoon, a fire service car remained parked outside the scene, while fire service staff were inside the venue.

A County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) spokesperson said: “We are working collaboratively with partner agencies and other authorities to support the investigation.

“Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this incident.”